ELON — When he steps on a scale or completes a weight-room workout, the increased numbers in play tell Jay Brown that he’s the heavier and stronger than ever.

And that additional size provided something of a new experience Monday as Elon University opened football practice.

“I could feel it for sure,” the senior defensive end said. “I could definitely feel the power, just hitting those sleds over there, hitting other guys, doing drills and stuff. It’s like, ‘Wow, that bag got lighter this year.’ ”

The Phoenix, which starts the season Aug. 31 at Georgia Tech, came back in bulk for its first session of training camp.

Elon’s big bodies have gotten bigger across the board on the offensive and defensive lines, growth that coach Jason Swepson viewed as essential after last season’s difficulties in closing out tight games and 13 surgeries continually reinforced the need for more mass.

“We were a weak football team and not up to par in our conference,” Swepson said. “It really surfaced in the fourth quarter of some games.”

Now, Brown has put on 15 pounds and weighs 262. Similar enhancements have taken shape elsewhere among his defensive line mates — Tony Thompson is up 17 pounds to 291; Jordan Jones weighs 261 after adding 16 pounds; Michael Pearson and Chris Jones are 8 pounds heavier and north of 282; Dustin Ruff has swelled from 276 pounds to 302.

“We had a small team. We needed to get some size on us,” Sowell said. “I’m not saying we are a big team now, but we’re bigger. We’re moving in the right direction, and that’s great to see.”

For Swepson, instituting daily mandatory breakfasts at 7 a.m. during Elon’s winter term and spring semester — with assistant coaches on hand at McEwen Dining Hall to ensure attendance — became an important building block in upsizing the Phoenix.

Then Ted Perlak’s hiring in May to head Elon’s strength and conditioning staff accelerated the process into and through the summer, Swepson said. Perlak spent the last six years in the same capacity at Fordham.

“Just took it to a whole different level, and that’s what I feel like this program’s been missing since I’ve been here,” Swepson said. “The summer was always kind of the missing component. (Perlak) really challenged the guys, and they bought in.”

Brown and Sowell said Monday that their agility hasn’t been sacrificed in the quest to beef-up their bodies.

Brown pointed to the team’s conditioning test during the weekend upon reporting for camp, 15 installments of 100-yard sprints with 30 seconds of rest allowed in between, which produced successful results among 95 percent of the players.

Page 2 of 2 - “Everyone got bigger and everyone still was able to make it, so I was happy for our team,” Brown said. “We did a long summer of lifting hard and running hard. This new size is going to help us hit guys hard the whole four quarters and sustain.”

November losses against The Citadel, Samford and Chattanooga, three straight defeats to finish last season at 3-8, stuck with Swepson as glaring indicators of Elon’s deficiencies in the size department.

The Phoenix pulled within fourth-quarter touchdowns of both Citadel and Chattanooga, before each team pounded runs that chewed up the remaining time and ended Elon’s comeback hopes. Samford, meanwhile, manhandled Elon.

“Our weakness was on display in those games,” Swepson said.

“I’d say some teams overpowered us,” Sowell said.

“Playing some of those teams, we got beat up,” Brown said. “We’re trying to prevent that this year. We had to get stronger.”

So with Elon’s dining services mostly closed during the summer, Brown had to step up his grocery shopping. More chicken breasts, pastas and even heavy-duty salads became staples of his more disciplined diet — super-sizing minus the drive-thru.

Sowell, a left tackle always in the business of adding bulk to protect quarterbacks’ blindsides, started cooking his own breakfasts in recent months. The standard menu: six eggs scrambled, four waffles and nine sausage links.